Cold
by StillEvolving
Summary: "Okay, somehow you managed to be cool for once. You didn't trip, or stutter, or drop anything. You were like, a functional human being for about fifteen f**king minutes. Why?" [non-related Elsanna AU; continuation from "Through Windows" and "Crash"]


A/N: I know it's been quite a long delay since I posted. Life happened. Anyways, this story takes place about a week after the events of "Crash". I know it's much shorter than the others, but it gives some context for the next piece, and shows that Elsa has yet to really figure things out. I'm sure there are still some errors in this one, but I'm not sure if I'll go back and rework it, or just move forward. I honestly wasn't even sure I'd put it up, but after seeing how many people favorited the other stories, I figured I should go ahead with it.

Disclaimer: Frozen is property of Disney

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><p>Conflict. It was an unavoidable part of life, but Elsa found herself growing sick to death of it at present.<p>

"_Ugh, what is with me today?"_

It had been a weird one for Elsa. A weird couple of days, actually. _"Okay, a week." _Alien as everything that had happened over the last month had been, this new... **thing** was all the more confusing. A week ago, Anna crashed her bike into the curb across the road from "Thrifty Things". The incident marked the beginning of an emotional battle within herself; a sense of loss that bred confusion.

The crash had scared the Hell out of her initially; she could understand why though. She simply didn't want the redhead to get hurt. Rather, it was other aspects of the event that puzzled her. Specifically, her own behavior.

Elsa paused and looked around. She had torn apart her studio apartment in an attempt get the nagging whispers and strange feelings to stop bothering her; had she lost something? Forgotten something? _"Maybe I misplaced something important," _the blonde rationalized. Sewing discord as she emptied her closet and threw her blankets to the floor proved a fruitless task. That little voice in the back of her mind continued to badger her. It wasn't the loss of an object, but a feeling.

"_Fine,"_ she admitted to herself. The issue called for closer inspection. First question was, how had she managed to keep it together while taking care of the girls injuries?

Crossing the room to flop on the sofa, the woman leaned back against the arm rest and put her feet up, draping a pale arm over her eyes.

_"Okay, somehow you managed to be cool for once. You didn't trip, or stutter, or drop anything. You were like, a functional human being for about fifteen fucking minutes. Why?"_

Searching her mind for something relevant, Elsa came across a thought that had been brought up by Sven. After he had said she was an interesting person, she later asked him to elaborate.

The giant scratched at the back of his neck thoughtfully. "It's hard to explain. It's like you're another person when you're in your element. Charisma," a pregnant pause, "You never wondered why they called you 'Ice Queen' back at school?"

"Because I was a frigid bitch, I thought," Elsa quipped shamelessly.

"That's only the obvious reason," Sven had to fight back a laugh.

Elsa arched an elegant brow at the large man, crossing her arms over her chest, "I didn't think those people were capable of anything other than 'obvious'. Why don't you enlighten me?"

This time, the big man guffawed, tugging his beard as he grinned from under the brim of his hat, "That's just it, right there. I dunno what makes you do it, but sometimes, it's like a switch flips in your head. C'mon, '**Ralph**'," the use of Hans' nickname for her made her eyes bulge for a second, taken aback, "You didn't just shun people, you were proud of it. It was, uh... 'regal authority', I heard someone call it. You're like a wolf in sheep's clothing; or a monarch in peasants clothing."

"And that explains my lack of people skills how?"

"See: 'in sheep's clothing'," he concluded with a chuckle.

The recollection set off a lightbulb for her. The blonde sat up suddenly on the couch and scratched at her head.

"_So, she... what? Got me out of my 'sheep' costume?" _Unfortunately, the realization brought with it even more questions. What was that, even? _"Sheeps clothing."_

She tried to focus on the second big inquiry, brought to her two days ago when she met Anna for lunch on her day off. When the redhead wrecked her bike, Elsa had carried her inside and tended to her injuries. The interaction had been close, intimate even, by her standards. After it was over, it had left a niggling, unidentifiable sense behind. However, after their previous da- _"meeting!"_ she corrected. After their previous **meeting** the feeling became more pronounced. She had liked the close proximity to Anna and wanted it to happen again. Could she do that without a reason? Was **wanting** to a good enough reason itself? She didn't know.

Her brain seemed to hiccup as two lines of information intersected.

"Oh, shit!" the blonde shrieked to herself, sapphire eyes widening. Comprehension dawned on her.

The so-called "wolf" hidden under her "sheep's clothing" was like a stranger to her. She could predict how she would act around her co-workers, where she felt free to express (_"what little"_) confidence she had. But her behavior from Annas accident had been what she considered to be wholly unlike herself.

Elsa exhaled slowly, having held her breath for a moment.

"_What if," _anxiety began to take a firm hold on her, blood coursing noisily through her ears, _"If I change, what if Anna doesn't like that 'me'?"_

Suddenly, she felt as if who she was that day was actually an invader living vicariously through her. The pace of her breathing began to pick up as she pressed her thumb between her lips and bit down nervously. A myriad of worries and doubts buried her up to her burning head as she continued to slide down a slippery slope of panic.

"_What if I'm not even who I think I am?"_

She paused when an even more tremendous horror crashed down on her. The sense of loss. Had acting so brashly hurt her chances of remaining with Anna? Elsa was unaware that in her trepidation, her logic had become convoluted.

"_What if I've already ruined my chance?_

_I don't want things to change._

_Oh God, how do I get things to stay the same?"_

Elsa worried her lower lip. She felt happy just by being next to Anna. Couldn't that be enough for her? It should be.

"_No,"_ she reprimanded, _"It has to be."_

She had to let the redhead know that somehow. The terrific hysteria that nearly swallowed whole her began to recede as an idea came to mind. The blonde took calming breaths, slowly reclining into the backrest of the couch as she closed her eyes. With her tense posture gradually relaxing, she told herself, _"That's what Anna wants. Just say it, and things don't have to change."_

Once she was calm, Elsa stamped out all thought in order to accomplish her task; she simply swept up her cell from the coffee table and scrolled through her contact list to Anna, then began typing with her thumbs.

"_Please, let this work," _the blonde pleaded silently. She didn't want things to be different. And if things **were** going to change, then the blonde was going to wait for an explicit sign that it wouldn't somehow upset her new-found happiness.

As she stared at the text message now ready to go on her screen, she commanded her conscience, _"Conceal it. Just let yourself be happy and don't ask for more," _and hit the 'send' button.

Elsa only had to wait a moment for the response from Anna.

"OMG, you said it! ;) I enjoyed it too. Wanna get lunch tomorrow?"

The older woman grew still. _"Yes," _she decided. She could do this. She could wait to be so close to Anna again, if it meant things would stay like this. It was just a matter of keeping the supposed "wolf" on a tight leash.

Elsa tapped out her response, hit 'send' again, and snapped her phone shut with a satisfied sigh. Her apartment was a mess. She had a lot of cleaning to do.

Annas phone chimed. The redhead immediately checked the new text from Elsa, beaming ear to ear. The message read:

"It's a date."

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><p>AN: What Sven actually meant by what he said is supposed to be explained at a later date, should I find myself able to continue this story.


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